Our European Song Contest 2
|presenters = Martijn Krabbé & Anouk |entries = 34 |debut = |return = |withdraw = |winner = Palmer - Syndrome |name = Our European Song Contest |year = 2 |host =AVROTROS |semi1 =|conductor = |director = |vote = Each country awards two sets of 12, 10, 8–1 points to their 10 favourite songs: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting|pre = 1|nex = 3}} }} Our European Song Contest 2, often shortened OESC 2, was the second edition of the Our European Song Contest. It was held in , after Martin Garrix and Khalid won last edition with their song "Ocean". AVROTROS, the Dutch broadcaster chose Amsterdam as the host city of this edition and the venue was The Box. Martijn Krabbé & Anouk were chosen as the presenters for this edition. 34 countries participated in the first edition, with Albania, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Switzerland and Ukraine being debutants while Belgium, Georgia and Serbia decided they will withdraw from this edition. Once again, only approved members of the Our European Broadcasting Union ( OEBU ) were invited to the contest. Palmer from France was crowned the winner of this edition with her song "Syndrome", collecting 243 points. Coming only 7 points behind the winner, Smith & Thell featuring Swedish Jam Factory and their song "Forgive Me Friend" from Sweden, with 236 points. Closing the top 3, it's Denmark represented by HEDEGAARD and Hayley Warner and their song "Go Back" with 178 points. Russia, Ukraine and Portugal closed the top 6. Location The Netherlands The Netherlands, is a country located mostly in Western Europe. Together with three island territories in the Caribbean (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), it forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The European portion of the Netherlands consists of twelve provinces and borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing maritime borders in the North Sea with Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The five largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht (forming the Randstad megalopolis) and Eindhoven (leading the Brabantse Stedenrij). Amsterdam is the country's capital, while The Hague holds the seat of the States General, Cabinet and Supreme Court. The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe and the world's largest outside Asia. 'Netherlands' literally means 'lower countries', referring to its low land and flat geography, with only about 50% of its land exceeding 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) above sea level. Most of the areas below sea level are the result of land reclamation beginning in the 16th century, resulting in large areas known as polders that amount to nearly 17% of the country's territory. With a population of 17.25 million living in an area of roughly 41,500 square kilometres, the Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Nevertheless, it is the world's second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products after the United States, owing to its fertile soil, mild climate, and intensive agriculture. The Netherlands was the third country in the world to have representative government, and has been administered as a parliamentary constitutional monarchy since 1848, with a unitary structure. A policy of pillarisation historically segregated society and institutions between Catholics, Calvinists and socialists, but Dutch society is today one of the most cosmopolitan in the world. The country has a long history of social tolerance and is generally regarded as a liberal country, having legalised abortion, prostitution, and euthanasia, while maintaining a progressive drug policy. The Netherlands abolished the death penalty in 1870, allowed women's suffrage in 1917, and became the world's first country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001. Amsterdam Amsterdam is the capital and most populous municipality of the Netherlands. Its status as the capital is mandated by the Constitution of the Netherlands, although it is not the seat of the government, which is The Hague. Amsterdam has a population of 851,373 within the city proper, 1,351,587 in the urban area, and 2,410,960 in the Amsterdam metropolitan area. The city is located in the province of North Holland in the west of the country but is not its capital, which is Haarlem. The metropolitan area comprises much of the northern part of the Randstad, one of the larger conurbations in Europe, with a population of approximately 8 million. Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, indicative of the city's origin around a dam in the river Amstel. Originating as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age (17th century), a result of its innovative developments in trade. During that time, the city was the leading centre for finance and diamonds.16 In the 19th and 20th centuries the city expanded, and many new neighbourhoods and suburbs were planned and built. The 17th-century canals of Amsterdam and the 19–20th century Defence Line of Amsterdam are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Since the annexation of the municipality of Sloten in 1921 by the municipality of Amsterdam, the oldest historic part of the city lies in Sloten (9th century). As the commercial capital of the Netherlands and one of the top financial centres in Europe, Amsterdam is considered an alpha world city by the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) study group. The city is also the cultural capital of the Netherlands. Many large Dutch institutions have their headquarters there, and seven of the world's 500 largest companies, including Philips, AkzoNobel, TomTom and ING, are based in the city. Also, many leading technology companies have their European headquarters in Amsterdam, such as Uber, Netflix and Tesla. In 2012, Amsterdam was ranked the second best city to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and 12th globally on quality of living for environment and infrastructure by Mercer. The city was ranked 3rd in innovation by Australian innovation agency 2thinknow in their Innovation Cities Index 2009. The Port of Amsterdam to this day remains the second in the country, and the fifth largest seaport in Europe. Famous Amsterdam residents include the diarist Anne Frank, artists Rembrandt van Rijn and Vincent van Gogh, and philosopher Baruch Spinoza. Participants Results Semi Final 1 In this semi final, Greece, The Netherlands and Portugal will have to vote as pre-qualified countries. The countries highlighted in orange qualified for the Grand Final. Semi Final 2 In this semi final, the other pre-qualified countries Kazakhstan, Romania and United Kingdom will have to vote. The countries highlighted in orange qualified for the Grand Final. Grand Final Voting grids Semi-Final 1 Semi-Final 2 Final Other countries * Belgium : Belgium suddenly decided to withdraw from this edition without citing any reasons. A return in the future is not rules out and possible. * Georgia : Georgia withdrawed without citing any reasons. Their HoD took Ukraine instead. * Serbia : Serbia withdrawed without giving any reasons. Their HoD took Albania instead.